Bright as Dawn
by Kuroki Katsumi
Summary: Seven girls are sucked into the Bleach Universe when a Hollow attacks them. Typical - I know. Rated T for language. HanataroxOC KiraxOC RenjixOC HisagixOC IchigoxOC UryuxOC ChadxOC. Please R&R! Full summary inside! HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**Bright as Dawn**

**Summary:**

**Dawn Phillips was your ordinary Canadian teenager. Hung out with her friends every Friday, went on shopping sprees on summer vacation, had an annoying younger sister and more. But when walking home from the last day of school she gets attacked by a Hollow. This Hollow was no ordinary soul-eater creeper though; it has the ability to shift time and space. It goes by the name, ****Taimutsuisutā. Taimutsuisutā was created by Mayuri Kurotsuchi ten years prior, but escaped from his laboratory, never to be seen since. When Taimutsuisutā escaped, she fell into the Human World – not the World of the Living, but a whole different world all together. Now she has sent Dawn and her six friends, Jean Everns, Selena Jones, Kayla Roberts, Brianna Harris, Lilly Wright and Laura Scott, to the Soul Society to fend for themselves. Will the seven friends be able to stay alive?**

Chapter One: Impossible

{Dawn's P.O.V.}

I walked along the sidewalk, heading home from Walker High for the last time this year. School was finally out for two months, and I was ready to have the best time of my life with my six friends, Jean, or "Princess", Selena, or "Skittles", Kayla, or "Kay", Brianna, or "Bri", Lilly, or "Lil", and Laura, or "Locket".

I met Jean and Lilly in kindergarten, Brianna and Kayla in first grade, and Selena in sixth grade. We had been inseparable ever since. We had given each other nicknames once our group of seven had formed, and we had kept them throughout all these years. My nickname was "Sunshine", because of my name – as were Kayla's, Brianna's and Lilly's. Jean was nicknamed "Princess" because she ruled over the group – me being in second command. Selena was nicknamed "Skittles" due to her sweet tooth, and Laura was nicknamed "Locket" since she always wore one, and she always kept any secret you told her.

Jean had wavy white/blonde hair that went to her waist and hazel eyes, while Selena had straight black hair with a single blonde highlight on the right side, which went to her hips, and green eyes. Kayla had messy red/brown hair down to her chin, and blue eyes. Brianna had brown eyes with green flecks and straight chocolate brown hair that went to her shoulders when down, but she almost always had it in a ponytail. Lilly sported black hair that went down to her shoulder blades in a series of waves, and hazel eyes, while Laura had curly light brown hair that fell just above her shoulders and blue eyes.

I was the one that stood out the most in the group. I had golden blonde hair with orange highlights and chocolate brown tips that matched my chocolate brown eyes. My hair was cut in a pixie cut that barely covered my ears, and had my bangs falling diagonally in between my eyes.

I ran my fingers through my punk-looking hair and pulled out my orange cell phone, checking for any messages from my parents.

_You have one unread message:_

'_Hi Dawn dearest! It's just me! I wanted to let you know that your father, Maya and I are going out to celebrate Maya's graduation from kindergarten! We knew you wouldn't want to come, so we left already. We'll be back around seven! Don't do anything stupid!'_

_End of message._

I rolled my eyes and put my phone back into the pocket of my black skinny jeans. Even though it was summer, it wasn't warm enough for shorts yet – curse this Canadian weather. It had been raining a lot this year, which was weird but no one questioned it. I pulled out my sport earpieces – you know, the kind that go around your ear so they won't fall off when you're running – and iPod, placing the earpieces on properly and turning up the volume of my iPod as my favourite song – You Make Me Feel, by Cobra Starship and Sabi – came through the speakers.

I stuffed my hands into my pockets, back slouched, as I walked. Checking both ways before I crossed the street – my parents had taught me well – I noticed something black in the distance.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I changed directions, walking towards whatever it was.

As I got closer, I noticed it had form, instead of just being some weird sort of blob or something. I jumped in surprise when it moved, turning around to face me.

The… whatever it was… had black skin, long white claws on all of its 'hands' and 'feet'. Covering its face was a white mask shaped like a diamond.

My eyes grew wide. A white mask…?

The over-all design off the creature look somewhat familiar. I hadn't seen it before – that I was certain of – but something like it…

A large black hand came towards me, and I screamed when the creature picked me up, nearly crushing me in its grip.

"Let go of me, you fat ass monster!" I yelled, pounding on its large hand – though I knew it wasn't doing anything.

"**Hmm… A spiritually aware soul… You should be very tasty!" **The monster chuckled. Its voice was feminine, though it had a male undertone to it.

"Like hell I'll let you eat me, you bitch – or son of a bitch! Whatever gender you are!" I managed to free one arm, and reached behind me, grabbing my floor hockey stick from my backpack. "Eat wood!" I swung the stick, hitting the monster in the face. The stick splintered and broke. "…Oh shit…"

The monster screamed in pain when a splinter got into its eye, causing black blood to fall down its face. It dropped me, clutching its face with both hands. **"You little brat! I'll kill you for that!"**

I screamed as I fell through the air. "I'm going to die from this fall, you retarded freak!" I pulled out my cell phone, averting my gaze from the rapidly approaching ground, sending a text message to all of my six friends:

_S.O.S.! I'M GOING TO DIE!_

I hit the 'Send' button, clutching my cell phone to my chest, trying to protect it from the impact that was to come soon – I would need my phone if my friend's replied. When I hit the ground, I rolled, trying to lessen the pain.

"Oh. My. Damn! It hurts!" I yelled, holding my left arm – which I was pretty sure, had broken.

"**Well, since it hurts so much, LET ME END YOUR SUFFERING!" **The monster screeched, opening its mouth and summoning a ball of multicoloured energy, before firing it in my direction.

"Holy chit! What the hell was that?" I yelped, leaping out of the attack's range. "Better yet, just who the hell are you?"

The monster chuckled darkly. **"I am a Hollow that has been given the name, Taimutsuisutā, human." **It – Taimutsuisutā – replied.

"Well, Taimutsuisutā, I don't plan on dying today!"

"**Silly human, you don't have a choice! You may be able to see me, but you are no match for my powers!"**

I narrowed my eyes. "I'm not going to die."

"**Say what you will – but I **_**will **_**bring your death!"** Taimutsuisutā summoned another ball of energy – this time larger. I prepared myself to jump out of the way, when I heard voices.

"Dawn!"

"What's going on?"

"Are you okay?"

"What the hell _is _that thing?"

"It's huge!"

"What's it doing?"

Jean, Selena, Kayla, Brianna, Lilly and Laura all ran down the street, coming to stand alongside me, facing the Hollow, Taimutsuisutā.

"That's the Hollow, Taimutsuisutā and –" I was interrupted.

"Hollow?"

"You mean like from Bleach?"

"No way!"

"Guys! I don't know if it's like the ones from Bleach or not! All I know is that it can _kill us_! We have to get out of here!"

"**It's too late for that, pitiful human fools!"**

The seven of us turned to look at Taimutsuisutā, only to see a huge ball of multicoloured energy flying towards us.

"Oh shit!"

All of my friends and I screamed, before being hit by the ball of energy, and enveloped in it. The world was nothing but bright lights of different colours, before even those faded into a black nothingness…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Shinigami

{Jean's P.O.V.}

I groaned at sat up, clutching my pounding head. Once most of the pain had subsided, I glanced around the room I was currently in. There were six beds other than the one I was sitting on – each one holding one of my friends. Dawn, Selena, Kayla, Brianna, Lilly and Laura… They were all here!

'_Well, at least we didn't get separated…' _I thought, brushing some hair out of my eyes. _'But… Where the hell are we? Are we dead? I mean… the attack that Hollow – __Taimutsuisutā – hit us with was pretty kick ass...' _A groan drew my attention to Dawn, as she sat up and looked around as well.

"Jean? Where the hell are we?" Dawn whispered.

I shook my head. "I don't know… But we might want to leave…" I glanced at the others. "Let's wake them up."

"Alright."

Dawn and I worked quickly, waking the others up and telling them what we were doing. In a matter of minutes, everyone was up and ready to sneak out the window. Suddenly though, we all tensed.

"…Someone's coming…" Laura whispered, pushing her purple glasses up higher on the bridge of her nose.

Dawn nodded. "I'll stall them."

Everyone nodded reluctantly, not really wanting to let her handle it, but having no choice if they wanted to leave.

"Be careful Dawn – we still don't know where the hell we are." I warned.

"Don't worry – I'll kick the ass of whoever brought us here and make them give us answers. Now, hide just outside the window." Dawn ordered, pointing towards said window.

All of us – minus the multi-coloured-haired girl, who hid under the bed closest to the door.

{Dawn's P.O.V.}

Once all six of my friends were outside, I held my breath, hiding under the bed Lilly had been laying on earlier.

When the door opened, a male with jaw length blonde hair and brown eyes stood there. My eyes widened. _'Shinji Hirako…? What is the world coming to?' _Shinji turned around slowly, looking at the other half of the room. _'Now!'_

I rolled out from under the bed, quickly getting to my feet and jumping at Shinji. He surprised me though, by reaching behind and grabbing my wrist. I kicked him in the back, forcing him to release me. Shinji turned around, quickly looking me over.

"You're not very smart…" He mused. "Attacking me… I'm obviously stronger than you."

My eyes narrowed, before I started smirking. "Well, I wasn't expecting the ex-Captain of the fifth squad to open the door." Shinji looked shocked, and I took the opening.

I dropped down into a squat, sweeping my leg and knocking his out from underneath him. I quickly lunged at him, pinning his arms down.

"Tell me where the hell I am." I demanded, glaring straight into the blonde's face.

"Why should I?"

"You seem to forget that you are being pinned to the ground right now." I replied, eyes narrowing further.

"And you seem to forget I'm more powerful than you." Shinji said before disappearing. My eyes widened, and I quickly grabbed a metal pole that was leaning against the wall. Turning around so I was lying on my back, I held the rod horizontally, blocking the kick Shinji had aimed for my head.

I swung the rod, making Shinji draw his foot back so he could regain his balance. I stood up, holding the rod in front of me. Shinji suddenly disappeared, and I braced myself, looking around the room warily. I felt that someone was behind me – it was like some weird sixth sense was telling me to turn – and spun around.

I saw Shinji standing there, looking kind of shocked that I had figured it out, but none the less delivered a kick to my stomach – hard. I went flying backwards and hit a wall. I coughed, feeling the air leave my lungs, and hung my head low.

I knew Shinji was approaching me cautiously. "What did I tell you?" He asked casually. "I knew you would lose – though it's kind of surprising you lasted that long since your just human- no matter how strong your reiatsu is."

I started chuckling, still not lifting my head. "Well, not all of us are Shinigami…" I felt my skin burn, and power – reiatsu – rolling off of me in waves. "…But I am not weak!" I lifted my head, seeing Shinji's eyes widen and him take a step back.

I disappeared from Shinji's vision, moving too fast for him to see. Next thing he knew, I stood behind him, brining the metal rod down towards his head. Shinji turned around, but couldn't stop the rod – because someone already had.

My eyes narrowed and I looked to the side, seeing none other than Kisuke Urahara standing there, holding the end of the rod – preventing me from giving Shinji a concussion. "…Kisuke…" I muttered, pulling the rod away from him, and letting it fall back to the floor.

Kisuke smiled at me, the shadow of his hat hiding his eyes. "May I ask how you know me?"

I rolled my eyes, ignoring his question, and walked over to the window, sticking my head out of it.

"You guys! We're at Urahara's Shop!"

My six friends rounded the corner of the building, coming into sight. "Yeah we already–" Jean stopped short in her reply, eyes widening. "W-What the hell h-happened to you?" I noticed my other friend's eyes' were also wide – slightly from shock, but also from fear.

My brow furrowed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Y-You have t-tattoos!" Brianna exclaimed, raising a shaking hand to point.

"What? Have you finally cracked?"

"Just look at yourself!" Selena snapped.

I did, looking down at my arms, seeing them covered in orange tattoos, all in the shape of flames. I gasped, pulling the sleeve of my shirt down – seeing more tattoos. I pushed my pant leg up – more tattoos. I even checked my stomach – getting the same result.

My skin started to burn again, and I noticed tattoos retracting towards the right side of my neck. I furrowed my brows. Why my neck? I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and checked my neck, seeing an orange yin-yang symbol there.

I glanced at Kisuke and Shinji, noticing they were watching me curiously. "… Princess, Skittles, Kay, Bri, Lil, Locket… Let me see your necks." My friends looked confused, but let me see. "Hmm… You all have yin-yang symbols too… But in different colours…"

It was true. All six of my friends had a yin-yang symbol on the right side of their necks but in different colours. Jean's was yellow, Selena's was a dark purple, Kayla's was red, Brianna's was blue, Lilly's was white and Laura's was green.

'_I wonder what they mean…'_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Inner Worlds

Dawn's P.O.V.}

Jean, Selena, Kayla, Brianna, Lilly, Laura and I sat around a table with Kisuke and Shinji, looking at the tea cups in front of us blankly.

"So, will you lovely girls care to tell me how you knew my name?" Kisuke asked sweetly, smiling at us.

Selena rolled her eyes. "Don't try to sweet talk us Kisuke – it's a waste of breath."

"Fine by me – as long as you talk." Shinji intervened.

I glared at the blonde. "We heard your names somewhere before."

"You're lying." Shinji replied calmly. "Even if you did hear our names, you wouldn't know it was us that person was talking about."

I ground my teeth together, resisting the urge to jump over the table and strangle him.

"…We want to train…" Kayla spoke up softly, causing all eyes to turn towards her.

"Do you now?" Kisuke asked, interested.

Lilly nodded. "Yes – we were hoping you could train us."

Kisuke thought about it for a moment. "…Alright… I suppose I could – on one condition of course."

Selena raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

"You tell us your names."

All of us froze. Our names? We couldn't tell them our real ones… An idea struck me. "Yoko."

"What?" Shinji asked, tilting his head to the side.

"My name is Yoko."

"Akemi." Jean spoke up.

"…Rika." Was Selena's choice.

"I-I'm Mai…" Kayla stuttered.

"You can call me Kasumi." Brianna added.

"Emiko…" Lilly joined in, smiling at her soon-to-be trainer.

"And I'm Harumi." Laura concluded.

After all of had chosen our fake names and given them to Kisuke and Shinji, the older blonde smiled. "Very well then, Yoko, Akemi, Rika, Mai, Kasumi, Emiko and Harumi! We shall start training right away!" He stood up, along with Shinji, quickly followed by the seven of us. Kisuke lead us to his underground training area, which was empty as of now.

"…Wow…" Lilly breathed, looking around.

"Yes, it's quite impressive, isn't it?" Kisuke mused proudly before waving his hand. "But we don't have time for sightseeing. Do you seven have any weapons?"

I shook my head. "No – we deal with what we have."

"Could you possibly provide us with some swords?" Laura asked, repositioning her glasses.

Kisuke tilted his head to the side, looking at us. "…I can… But they won't be ready for about a week or two…" He smiled again. "For now, I want to see that power Yoko demonstrated!"

My six friends and I exchanged glances. "…I didn't activate it on purpose… I didn't even know I possessed such power…" I explained.

Kisuke pouted slightly. "Oh, alright then… We shall have to work on activating it freely – would you like to start with that until your swords are made?" We nodded, and he smiled. "Then let's get a move on!"

-:-

For the next two hours, my friends and I sat in the same spot, trying to find our Inner Worlds – if we even had one. Laura was unresponsive, so she had either found her Inner World, or was sleeping – I couldn't tell.

Slowly, my other friends became unresponsive as well, heading into their Inner Worlds. I still sat, trying to enter mine – but it felt like something kept pushing me out. I took a deep breath, summoning energy from my body and focusing it towards my mind. Eventually, I felt something give, and I entered my Inner World.

I was in a very warm place, covered in flames. A river of lava was on one side of me, a place that resembled Greek Ruins on the other. The buildings were building, plants turning to ashes. I felt something drawing me to the fountain of lava in the center of this place, and slowly approached it. Seeing a dark figure, I yelped.

"_**Do not be afraid…" **_A deep voice called out.

"Who… are you?" I asked, trying to look through the lava.

"_**I am the spirit of this World – Ka **__**Ryū." **_A dragon emerged from the fountain. It had orange scales, white claws, black wings and piercing brown eyes. _**"I will be transported into your sword once you receive it."**_

I nodded slowly. "Alright… My name is-"

"_**You need not lie to me – I know of your true name, Dawn Phillips. Do not worry though; I will call you be your alias – Yoko – when you need me to."**_

"Thank you, Ka."

"_**There is no need to thank me, Dawn…"**_

"…Ka… What is the yin yang symbol on my neck for?" I questioned hesitantly.

"…_**That mark has been given to you and your friends as an extra reserve of power… The Hollow that sent you here – **__**Taimutsuisutā – was created by Mayuri Kurotsuchi years ago, but escaped from his laboratory. Taimutsuisutā was made when Kurotsuchi combined spiritual powers and the strength of a Hollow, trying to create some sort of power source for Shinigami. The experiment failed, and when Taimutsuisutā escaped, she fell into the Human World. The attack she hit you with was one of the powers Kurotsuchi was trying to develop – teleportation. But since Taimutsuisutā is from another Universe, the blow sent you and your six friends here. The attack also bestowed her powers in you. The symbol on your necks will burn when you need more power – or get angry enough – and tattoos will spread across your body. You have each been gifted with a specific element – you are the Fire Wielder, and therefore your tattoos resemble flames."**_

"Wow… That's… Amazing…!" I exclaimed, eyes wide.

"_**Yes, but it is also a very strong power to wield… You will have to train very hard with Kisuke and the Visords."**_

I nodded. "I will, Ka."

With one final look at the dragon spirit, I withdrew from my Inner World, bringing myself back to current time.

{Jean's P.O.V.}

I was in a very strange place… The sky was a deep midnight blue mixed with gray, and it was pouring rain. Lightning struck down from the sky, setting things on fire for only an instant before the rain put it out. It was like being stuck in a loop.

A dragon stood in front of me, and had introduced itself as Denki Ryū. Denki had yellow scales, white claws, black wings and hazel eyes.

"…I see…" I murmured, pushing some of my bangs out of my eyes. That was another thing – although it was raining, I never got wet. "So when I need more power or get extremely pissed off, the symbol will activate?"

"_**That is correct, Jean."**_

I nodded slowly, eyes narrowed slightly. "Thank you for that information, Denki. I'm sure Kisuke will be happy to find out I know how to activate this strange new power now…"

"_**Yes, he probably will." **_Denki paused, glancing around my Inner World. _**"When you receive your sword, my spirit will be transferred into it, but if you come to your Inner World again, I will be here as well."**_

"I thought as much… It's much like Zanpakuto spirits…"

"_**Yes; that it is."**_

I looked up at the yellow dragon that looked back down at me. "Thank you, Denki. But I better be returning to the real world now."

Denki nodded, and the scenery faded as I left my Inner World.

{Selena's P.O.V.}

My Inner World had a purple sky and gray storm clouds. Black shadows moved around, stirring silently. There were the ruins of a black temple in front of me, with a dragon standing in the entrance.

The dragon had purple scales, white claws, black wings and green eyes. It told me its name was Kurai Ryū.

"_**Do you understand now, Selena?" **_Kurai asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah, I understand." I stuffed my hands into my pockets. "So if I need any extra power to kick someone's ass, the yin yang symbol on my neck will activate – got it."

"_**That is good – knowing how to freely activate your newest power will come in handy in the near future."**_

"Is that so?" I raised an eyebrow.

"_**Yes, but I'm afraid I cannot say anymore then what I already have."**_

I sighed. "Oh well…" I lifted my index and middle finger to my forehead before flicking them out to the side in a farewell gesture. "I'll see you later, Kurai."

"_**Goodbye Selena."**_

I smiled slightly as I left my Inner World and opened my eyes to see I was back in Kisuke's underground training room.

{Kayla's P.O.V.}

My Inner World was relatively normal… It was a meadow with pale green grass that shook slightly in the breeze, scarlet and golden-coloured flowers and a clear blue sky which held the brightly shining sun. The only strange thing was that the sun was red – actually red.

I stood in front of a large dragon, under a weeping willow tree. The dragon told me that it was known as Hikari Ryū. Hikari had red scales, white claws, black wings and blue eyes.

"_**Kayla, I am aware that you do not favour fighting – but when the time comes, you must use this power that has been given to you."**_

I nodded, hands trembling slightly at my sides. "I-I know…" I shook my head, clearing it of any doubtful thoughts, and glanced up at Hikari, and determined look on my face. "I will not let this gift go to waste!"

"_**That is good… You may need it sooner than you think."**_

I tilted my head to the side, my determined look quickly replaced with a confused one. "…What do you mean…?"

"_**It's nothing that will not be revealed in due time. For now, work hard in your training and make your friends proud."**_

"I will, Hikaru…" I agreed softly, closing my eyes and starting to pull out of my Inner World. "Goodbye for now!"

The last thing I heard before completely returning to Kisuke's training grounds was Hikari's voice: _**"Farewell, Kayla…"**_

{Brianna's P.O.V.}

I have to say – I love my Inner World! It was a very quiet place, covered by a thin mist. A waterfall was off to the side, delivering a very calming sound to my ears. The ground was a large stone tile – and I mean huge! - floating in the air. Thick gray clouds created something almost like a ceiling, and occasionally drizzled rain.

Sitting on a rock by the waterfall was a blue-scaled dragon with white claws, black wings and brown eyes with green flecks. It introduced itself as Mizu Ryū.

"…So this yin yang symbol on my neck is a power reserve…" I murmured thoughtfully, scooping up some water in my hands and looking at the blue mark on my neck that supposedly held the power that Dawn had demonstrated.

"_**That is correct. But you must train hard and practice this technique often during sparring." **_Mizu informed me, not moving from the rock.

"Yeah… I'll have to do that and become the strongest I can!" I agreed determinedly.

"_**When the tattoos spread across your skin, and retract as well, they will burn slightly – but do not be frightened. It is natural for it to do that."**_

I nodded. "Alright then… I better start training right away."

"_**Yes… I will be here if you have any more questions."**_

As the scenery faded and I returned to my actual body, I thanked the dragon. "Thanks Mizu."

{Lilly's P.O.V.}

My Inner World was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It was a bit unusual, but still magnificent. Mainly, it was a large cloud floating in the sky – but I was on the bottom of it. I didn't fall off though, just sat upside down. It somehow felt right…

Sitting across from me was a dragon that went by the name Tei Ryū. Tei had silver/white scales, white claws, black wings and hazel eyes.

"S-So… This mark is a power source that I can use if I need it?" I questioned shakily.

"_**That is correct, Lilly. But there is no reason to fear this power – you are its controller." **_Tei reassured me.

"That's good to know…" I muttered, feeling silly for even feeling slightly scared in the first place.

"_**Worry not – you had a reason to feel so. It takes some getting used to."**_

I nodded slowly. "Yeah… I can see why…"

"_**You will have to train very hard – no matter the injuries."**_

"No more being weak." I added, looking determined.

"_**Yes, you will have to become as strong as you can – practice with this new power as often as you can, Lilly."**_

"I understand." I stood up, still upside down. "I better get going then. Goodbye Tei!" I left my Inner World and Tei behind, returning to the real world.

{Laura's P.O.V.}

A green dragon stood in front of me. The dragon also possessed white claws, black wings and blue eyes. It had told me it went by the name, Chikyuu Ryū.

I repositioned my glasses, pushing them higher up on the bridge of my nose. "That is very interesting, Chikyuu. Thank you for that information."

"_**It is very important that you understand how to activate your new power, Laura." **_Chikyuu replied.

"If I need extra power, or I get too angry, I can activate the mark." I repeated, gazing straight at the mythical creature.

"_**Very good. You will need to train hard – this is not a power you can use at its fullest from the beginning."**_

I nodded. "I figured as much…" I paused, before straying to a different topic. "So I am the Earth Wielder?"

"_**Correct – that it why your Inner World looks the way it does."**_

My Inner World was basically a thick forest filled with many different types of trees. The ground was dirt and stone, which was cracking in different places. The sky was a faint gray – as if it was about to storm.

"That makes sense…"

"_**You should start training at once, Laura. I believe your friends have already come up with the same conclusion."**_

I nodded, repositioning my glasses once more. "Very well then – farewell for now, Chikyuu."

I pulled away from my Inner World, and opened my eyes to take in the scenery of Kisuke's training grounds.

I stood up from my mediating position, stretching my arms above my head before turning around to face my friends – seeing they were back from their Inner Worlds as well, and staring at me.

"I assume you all know how to activate the symbols on our necks?" All six of my friends nodded, and I smirked faintly. "Well then, let's ask Kisuke if we can spar." My friends smiled and nodded eagerly – even Kayla and Lilly, the shyest ones of our group.

'_This is going to be interesting…'_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Sparring: Part One

{Dawn's P.O.V.}

After all six of my friends and I returned from our 'trip' to our Inner Worlds, Laura asked Kisuke if we could spar – using mostly hand-to-hand combat of course – each other and practice with our new powers.

"Hmm… I don't see why not!" Kisuke chirped happily. "But there is one problem…" All of us looked at him. Problem? "There are seven of you! One of you will have to spar someone else…!" He looked around, spotting Shinji. "One of you will spar Shinji!"

Shinji looked up from where he was sitting, instantly alert after hearing his name. "What?"

I smirked, remembering our last battle. "I'll fight him."

Kisuke smiled. "Then it's settled! I'll leave you girls to figure out the rest of the pairs." He walked away shortly after, going to stand with Tessai, Jinta and Ururu.

All of us immediately turned to look at Jean – our "Princess" – who looked thoughtful. "Well… Yoko's sparring Shinji, so that leaves me, Rika, Mai, Kasumi, Emiko and Harumi…" She paused, tapping her index finger against her chin thoughtfully, before snapping her fingers. "I got it! I will spar Harumi, Rika will spar Kasumi and Mai will spar Emiko!" The others nodded, accepting their partners.

"Good luck to all of you." I encouraged, grinning, ready to fight. "I'm off to fight Blondie."

"What'd you call me?" Shinji yelled from where he was sitting.

"You heard me, or you wouldn't be asking!" I called back. "Now get up so I can fight you!"

My friends laughed at my eagerness, and headed off to different areas with their partners, while Shinji sighed at stood up, making his way over to where I was standing.

"Good luck." He said, before getting into fighting stance along with me.

"You too." I replied, before launching myself at the blonde Visord.

-:-

{Jean's P.O.V.}

Laura and I stood across from one another. Laura's hands were at her sides, while mine were in my pockets.

"You want to activate our marks first thing?" I asked casually.

Laura shrugged, pushing her glasses up on the bridge of her nose. "I don't really care." She smirked faintly. "Whatever you want – 'Princess'."

I chuckled. "Alright then." My eyes narrowed and my mouth curved into a smirk. "I'll try not to kick your ass too hard – since we're friends." I activated my mark, yellow lightning bolt tattoos spreading across my skin, burning. I removed my hands from my pockets, getting into fighting stance.

"Neither will I." Laura replied, activating her mark, causing tree branch tattoos to spread across her body.

My eyes widened when Laura suddenly disappeared. Whirling around, I blocked her kick with my bare arm. Shifting my arm's position, I gripped Laura's ankle and threw her onto the ground.

Laura didn't hit the ground though, she went _through _it! Her body merged with the earth, and she disappeared again.

Closing my eyes, I searched for her reiatsu. _'There!' _I sensed her underneath me, and moved to jump away when her hand reached up and grabbed my ankle, before pulling me underground.

It was dark, and cramped. I looked around – even though I couldn't really see anything – searching for my friend and opponent. Suddenly, a foot hit my chest, sending me flying up, back through the ground and into the air. When I hit the ground again, I landed on my back, skidding backwards a ways more.

When I stopped moving, I pushed myself off of the ground shakily, coughing lightly. I saw Laura's smirking face in front of me.

"Having fun?" She moved to punch me, but I grabbed her fist and sent an electric shock through her body. She yelped, and jumped away, smoke rising from her hand.

I eyed Laura carefully, noticing something I hadn't had enough time to notice before. "…You're hair is longer…" Laura looked to the side, seeing her hair now fell down to her waist. I used shunpo and stood right in front of her face. "…And your eyes are green…"

Laura leapt backwards, preventing me from attacking – for now. "Your hair is longer too." She smirked, pushing up her glasses. "And your eyes are yellow."

I laughed. "Well, this is getting more and more interesting." I used shunpo again, appearing behind the bespectacled girl, and kicking her roughly in the back. "Forget going easy – since you're not."

Laura did a flip in midair, landing on her feet. "Fine by me." She pressed her palms to the ground, stone columns shooting up around me.

I dodged them all, preventing them from squishing me like a bug. Then I stuck my hands out, palms facing my opponent, and sent thousands of lightning bolts flying towards her. She managed to dodge most of them, and raised an earth shield to deflect the last few.

"You're better than I thought you'd be…" I mused, grinning.

Laura's eyes narrowed, and she lifted a piece of the earth, hurtling it towards me.

-:-

{Selena's P.O.V.}

I stood across from Brianna, eyes narrowed. Both our marks were activated already – mine a deep purple labyrinth pattern while hers was a blue wave pattern. Each of us stood, waiting to see which one would move first. I sighed and disappeared, reappearing behind Brianna and going to bring down my leg onto her shoulder.

She spun around, grabbing my foot and holding it above her head. A crater formed around us from the force of my kick. Brianna tightened her grip on me, and water crawled up my skin. I yanked my foot from her grasp, but the water still stayed. It swirled around me.

"What the hell…?" I muttered, but decided to ignore the liquid. I leapt forward, going to punch the brunette in the face. Brianna lifted her hand, but that was all. "That won't help you!" I cried; my fist about to make contact.

When the water around me stopped my fist from going any further.

My eyes widened, and Brianna disappeared. I looked around, but the water kept getting in the way. Brianna suddenly appeared in front of me, punching me in the gut – sending me flying backwards.

I hissed in pain when my back hit the ground – hard. I got back on my feet though, and lifted my arms above my head, palms facing the sky. A dome of dark purple energy surrounded Brianna and I. I was able to see perfectly fine, but Brianna couldn't see a thing.

Shadows silently crept towards my opponent, before sticking to her body and covering her. Brianna screamed as the shadows wrapped around her neck, but it was quickly cut off when the shadows covered her entire face.

I walked towards the brunette that had no way of telling I was coming, all of her senses taken away. The water that had been swirling around me before fell to the ground – useless now that its master was immobilised. I pulled my fist back, punching Brianna in the face, sending her crashing into the side of my dome.

My fingers brushed against some of the shadows of the dome, gathering dark purple energy on my fingertips. I walked towards Brianna once more, pointing my index finger at her, a beam of energy drawing closer and closer to the still girl.

-:-

{Kayla's P.O.V.}

Lilly and I stood, with miles of ground in between us, facing each other. We had both activated our marks after sensing Jean, Laura, Selena and Brianna had. My skin burned as red sun tattoos spread across my skin. I guessed that Lilly felt the burn too as her silver/white cloud tattoos emerged.

I bit my lip before disappearing, reappearing directly in front of my friend – now opponent. I jumped into the air; swing my leg to kick her but hitting thin air.

Lilly had disappeared.

I glanced around cautiously, wondering where the black-haired girl could be. I sensed something above me, a looked up to see Lilly hanging upside in thin air above my head.

"Hi." Was all she said, before grabbing my hair and throwing me across the training ground.

I screamed, but twisted myself so I landed upright. I skid back, but placed my hand to the ground, stopping myself. I looked back at Lilly, shaking with anger. Red reiatsu exploded around me, swirling around my body and lifting my hair.

I used shunpo to appear right behind Lilly, and slammed a red ball of energy into her back. She yelped, flying across the grounds – much like I had done earlier. I used shunpo yet again to appear in front of Lilly, kicking her in the stomach and sending her flying back the way she came. I leapt after her quickly, summoning another ball of energy and smashing it into her torso.

A wind stirred my hair, and cleared the smoke away from where I had landed my attack – but no one was there.

I gasped when my body was lifted towards the sky by the air, Lilly standing a ways away, palms raised. She lifted her arms above her head and spun around quickly, over and over again. A tornado formed around me, throwing me around before spitting me out as the natural disaster died down.

I hit the ground hard, landing on my hands and knees. I coughed, a little bit of blood hitting the ground under me. I turned over so I was lying on my back – only to widen my eyes when I saw Lilly standing over me, bringing a ball of silver/white energy down onto my body.

-:-

{Dawn's P.O.V.}

I leapt at Shinji, who dodged effortlessly – but I had expected that. I stuck my arm out as I went past him, grabbing onto his sleeve and throwing him onto the ground. Shinji rolled out of the way as I brought my leg down to kick him, so I ending up hitting the ground where he had been.

I turned around, searching for the Visord. My eyes widened when he appeared in front of me, and kicked me in the abdomen before punch my shoulder, sending me flying backwards. When I neared the ground, I flipped backwards, pushing off of my hands before landing back on my feet.

I closed my eyes, feeling my skin start to burn as my flame tattoos spread across my body. I opened my eyes, grabbing Shinji's fist that was heading for my face and threw him backwards. I glanced around, noticing my friends' hair reached their waist, and their eyes were the same colour as the reiatsu swirling around them. Jean's were yellow, Laura's were green, Selena's were dark purple, Brianna's were blue, Kayla's were red, and Lilly's were white/silver – making it look like her eyes were almost completely white.

I glanced down, noticing my multi-coloured hair reached my hips as well, and orange reiatsu circled around my body. I briefly wondered if my eyes were orange as well, but didn't have to much time to dwell on the thought.

I dodged Shinji's kick, and popped up behind him. I flicked my wrist, waving my hand in his direction, sending a wave of fire towards the blonde. He dodged though, and went to sweep my legs out from underneath me. I waited until the last second before disappearing again and going to kick his back from behind.

He continued to dodge my attacks.

I ground my teeth together, annoyed that I couldn't land a hit. I summoned a large ball of fire, throwing it towards the ex-Fifth Captain, who just used shunpo to get out of the way before appearing behind me and kicking me in the back – like what I had tried to do to him only a little while before.

I rolled when I hit the ground, getting back to my feet quickly. We stood parallel from each other from a moment – just standing there.

I sighed. "I'm never going to land a hit… Am I?"

"Not likely." Shinji smiled, causing my eyebrow to twitch in annoyance. "You caught me off guard the first time we fought, but now I know about your mark."

"Ass…" I muttered under my breath, glaring at the blonde that continued to smile. I disappeared, going to kick him in the face. He dodged though, as I had expected.

I sighed. "…This is going to take a while…"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Sparring: Part Two

{Jean's P.O.V.}

I shot lightning bolts at the large piece of earth, making it crumble into gravel.

"That the best you got?" I smirked at Laura's pissed off expression.

"Not even close!" The brunette curled her hands into fists, and slammed them down onto the ground. She quickly flattened her palms, summoning a Venus flytrap. I gasped as Laura controlled the plant's roots to grab me, and shove me inside the human-eating plant.

I glared at Laura. "I'll kill you when I get out of this!"

Laura just repositioned her glasses, her mouth curving into a large smirk. "_If_ you get out of it." She brushed her hands together, knocking dirt off of them, before walking towards the plant.

I waited until she was close enough, before ramming my hand up into the roof of the Venus flytrap's mouth, giving it the shock of a lifetime. The plant opened its mouth, and I leapt out, knocking Laura to the ground, and grabbing her throat.

Laura's eyes were wide with fear. "I-It's just s-sparring, Akemi!" She stuttered, thankfully remembering to use my alias.

"I know." I replied, loosening my grip on Laura's neck – but only slightly. "Do you surrender?"

Laura nodded furiously – at least, the best she could with hands wrapped around her neck – and I let go of her, getting up off the ground before help her up as well.

Our eyes faded back to their normal colour, and our tattoos retracted back to the marks on our neck. We heard clapping and look to the side, seeing Kisuke. "Well done girls!" He exclaimed, smiling brightly.

I rolled my eyes, but smiled back at him – I couldn't help it. "Thanks."

Laura nodded, thanking the blonde man silently, picking her glasses up from where they had fallen when I tackled her, checking to make sure they weren't broken – thank god they weren't.

Laura and I followed Kisuke back to the porch he had been standing on during the time we were fighting, before sitting down, sighing heavily.

"Damn I'm sore…" I muttered, stretching my arms above my head.

"You'll get used to that – don't worry." Kisuke replied, still smiling.

I nodded, turning my head to watch the other battles at hand.

-:-

{Selena's P.O.V.}

I fired a beam of dark purple energy at Brianna's still form – not enough power to kill her, but enough to get her to surrender.

After the beam hit its target, I approached Brianna, releasing her from my shadows. When the smoke cleared, my jaw dropped.

No one was there.

I was suddenly sealed in a ball of water from behind. I gasped, but quickly closed my mouth to stop water from getting in. I turned around, looking at Brianna's smirking face.

"You always rush into things without thinking or observing – that's your weakness." She told me. "You didn't even notice that what you had caught in your shadows had no reiatsu."

My eyes widened, and I turned my head to look at where 'Brianna' had sat when wrapped in my shadows.

There was a pool of water on the floor.

I turned back to Brianna, glaring. She just laughed. "That's right – I used a double made of water." My shadow dome faded from around us, allowing sunlight to leak in. "Do you surrender – or do I have to drown you?"

I sighed and allowed my tattoos to fade and my eyes to return to normal. I held up one finger, signalling the first option – surrender.

Brianna smirked and released me from the water prising. I fell to the ground, gasping in air. Brianna stood above me, holding out her hand. I grasped it, and she helped me to my feet.

"You put up a good fight, Rika." Brianna complemented, her tattoos also fading, and eyes becoming their normal brown with green flecks.

I smiled at my friend, causing her to smile back. "Thanks, Kasumi. You did good too – I thought I had you!" We laughed and headed to over where Jean and Laura were sitting on the porch, next to the standing Kisuke and company.

He smiled brightly at us. "Good job! That was quick thinking!"

We thanked him, and sat down on the other side of our other two friends, watching the remaining two battles – Dawn versus Shinji, and Kayla versus Lilly.

-:-

{Kayla's P.O.V.}

Lilly brought the silver/white orb of reiatsu crashing down towards me, and I just barely managed to dodge. I rolled out of the way, throwing a ball of red reiatsu towards Lilly in the process. When I got back on my feet, I lifted my head to see her lunging towards me.

I yelped, and leapt out of the way, but Lilly managed to grab my ankle, and threw me to the ground. I groaned and coughed, some blood splattering onto my cheek.

Lilly leaned over me. I thought she would attack, but instead she disappeared using shunpo. I shakily got up, glancing around. My eyes widened when something struck my back – hard.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Lilly standing behind me, orb of white/silver reiatsu pressed against my back. I staggered forward as the orb faded, my body taking the damage.

I fell to me knees and looked back up at Lilly.

Her eyes softened. "Do you give in?" She asked, crouching down in front of me.

I sighed, but nodded. I was in too much pain to continue. I felt my skin burn as my tattoos retreated back to the yin yang symbol that each of us now bared. The reiatsu circling around me also disappeared, and my eyes turned back to normal.

Lilly smiled as her tattoos also disappeared, eyes returning to their usual hazel colour, and helped me stand and walk to where Jean, Laura, Selena, Brianna, Kisuke and his employees were.

"Are you alright, Mai?" Kisuke asked me worriedly.

I nodded. "I'm fine – just a bit sore."

Jean sighed. "We all are…"

My other friends and I chuckled, as Lilly and I sat down alongside them, turning to watch the last battle, the one between one friend and a Visord.

-:-

{Dawn's P.O.V.}

I sighed yet again, aggravated. Shinji dodged all of my attacks! _'I guess that's what I get for choosing to spar with an ex-Captain…' _I thought as I dodged another kick from Shinji. That's basically all we were doing – dodging each other attacks.

I sent another fireball at him, one twice the size of his head, but it didn't matter the size – he would just dodge it. My eye twitched.

"This is pointless!" I yelled to my opponent. "We just keep dodging!"

"Not my fault you dodge." He replied casually, causing my eye to twitch again.

"Shut up! You're dodging too!"

Shinji just shrugged. "I haven't even been attacking that much…"

"Exactly! If you had attacked more, this might have been over and done with!"

Shinji blinked in a confused manor. "…But then you would have lost…"

I sighed. "I don't even care anymore… It'd be better than staying here and fighting all night long…" I called back my tattoos to the yin yang symbol on my neck and waited as my extra reiatsu faded back to a normal level, my eyes changed from orange to brown and my hair grew shorter.

"You're giving up?" Shinji asked, eyebrow raised.

I glared at him. "Not giving up – forfeiting.

"Right, 'cause there's such a difference." Shinji rolled his eyes.

"There is. Giving up would be because I have to. Forfeiting is because I want to – I'm bored of this." I replied, walking away and over to my friends.

"What happened Yoko?" Lilly exclaimed.

"She got bored." Shinji replied from behind me.

"Excuse me, but your name isn't 'Yoko'." I glared at the blonde.

Shinji smiled. "Of course not – that's a girl name."

I growled lightly, and resisted the urge to smack that smile off his face. "Don't be a smartass."

Shinji ignored me however, and sat down on the other side of the porch.

I sighed. Being around people like him would take some getting used to…

-:-

For the next two months, my friends and I trained from sunrise till midnight every day, growing stronger each week that passed.

By the time two months had passed, we were incredibly strong and our swords had come in. We had also become our own kind of Shinigami – not known as 'Shinigami', but as Shi no Tenshi – or Angels of Death.

We had come up with a group attack, combo attacks and attacks that only one person used.

At the end of two months…

We got word that Arrancars were coming.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**I bet you weren't expect Dawn to forfeit… Mwhahaha…**

**Also,**

**OMG! ARRANCARS! AHH! GRIMMJOW AND ULQUORRA ARE COMING INTO THE STORY SOON! AND ICHIGO, URYU, CHAD AND ORIHIME!**

**Okay… Not so excited about Orihime… but still… -.-**

**Please review! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Arrival of Arrancar  
>{DawnYoko's P.O.V.}

Jean, Selena, Kayla, Brianna, Lilly, Laura and I stood above one of the many parks in Karakura Town, floating on air.

"I wonder how much longer they'll be..." Lilly mused, scanning the surrounding area.

"Patience - it won't be too much longer now." I replied.

All seven of us were dressed in our own type of uniform. We wore a white Shinigami kimono with a black belt - which held our swords -, black shoes that covered all of our feet, and a black scarf-like piece of fabric that was wrapped around our heads so that only our eyes showed.

Our swords each had a different coloured sheath to match the color of our activated marks. Mine was orange, Jean's was yellow, Selena's was dark purple, Kayla's was red, Brianna's was blue, Lilly's was white/silver, and Laura's was green. The fabric that was wrapped around the hilt of our swords was the same color as its sheath.

"Look - they're here." Jean whispered. "Conceal your reiatsu, and wait until I give the signal."

The rest of us nodded, and did as we were told. After making it so that no one could sense our reiatsu, we watched as a blue light shot down from the sky a little ways away, creating a lot of smoke and confusion.

When the smoke cleared, Ulquiorra Schiffer and Yammy Llargo were standing there. Yammy came out from the large crater, and noticed the humans staring.

Yammy used his Gonzui ability, and sucked the souls of all the humans nearby. I glanced over at Jean, but before I could say anything, Lilly spoke up.

"How much longer are we going to wait, Princess?" She asked quietly, watching the disaster down below with sad eyes. "Those humans didn't do anything wrong…"

Jean didn't take her eyes off of the two Arrancar. "…I know Lilly… We need to wait for Ichigo Kurosaki to show up though…"

Lilly nodded, and lapsed into silence once more.

"Ugh, awful taste…" Yammy groaned after successfully draining all the humans in the area of their souls.

"What did you expect, Yammy?" Ulquiorra asked, stoic as ever. "Weak souls like those will always taste nasty."

"Well I only did it because they kept staring at us." Yammy snapped. "Like we were part of some freak show!"

Ulquiorra's eyes glanced over the now dead people. "Those people weren't looking at you. In fact, they couldn't see us at all."

"I know – but they were still pissing me off. So, how many in the World of the Living are we supposed to kill anyway?" Yammy replied.

"Only one – there is no need to kill anyone else." Ulquiorra's voice was indifferent.

"This place is overflowing with humans, and you only want to kill one?"

"That's correct. I've been told there are only three people here with enough spiritual pressure to put up a fight against us. It should be easy to find them; and the rest are just trash."

There were sounds of struggling, causing Ulquiorra to glance over at a girl with short black hair, pushing herself onto her knees – Tatsuki Airsawa.

"Surprising," Ulquiorra mused. "There seems to be a survivor."

Tatsuki lifted her head to squint at the two men dressed in white. "…What just happened to me…? I don't get it…" Ulquiorra and Yammy made their way over to the athletics girl. "And who… or what… are those guys…?"

Yammy stood in front of Tatsuki, grinning. "I'm guessing that if my Gonzui didn't suck out your soul, then you must have some pretty good spiritual pressure yourself." Tatsuki's eyes were wide, and she was shaking slightly. "Come on, admit it – you're hiding it somewhere deep inside of you, right?" Yammy turned his head to look over his shoulder at the other Arrancar. "Hey Ulquiorra, is she one?"

"Look carefully," Ulquiorra started, looking at Yammy with impassive eyes. "Her soul is about to be crushed just by you standing close to her, you idiot. She's trash."

Yammy grunted and turned back to look at Tatsuki. "So you're telling me she just got lucky she survived my Gonzui? Well her luck's run out." Yammy lifted his leg, and moved to kick Tatsuki, when Orihime and Chad suddenly appeared in front of her, Chad blocking the kick with his armoured arm.

Yammy stood back. "What the… Who the hell are you guys?"

Chad ignored his question. "Orihime, listen to me carefully; take Tatsuki and get out of here now."

Orihime nodded determinedly. "Just please be careful Chad."

"Ulquiorra, is this guy one of them?" Yammy called back to the only other Arrancar there.

Ulquiorra sighed softly. "Oh Yammy, you really need to work on your investigative power so you can detect these things on your own. You should be able to tell in one glance; this individual is trash."

"So I see." Yammy replied.

Chad powered up his arm and thrust it towards Yammy, creating a blinding light. Yammy punched Chad in the face, sending him flying backwards, blood falling.

Orihime gasped and placed Tatsuki on the ground before running over to her friend. "Chad, get up!" She cried desperately. "Chad, speak to me! Chad!"

"Ulquiorra…" Yammy growled, listening to Orihime shout out to her fallen comrade. "How about her, is she trash?"

Ulquiorra closed his eyes. "Yes – she's trash."

Yammy chuckled. "I got you."

"Chad, come on! Wake up!" Orihime cried, looking like she was about to burst into tears.

Yammy stepped forward, but Orihime didn't even glance at him. He lifted a single finger, and brought it forward, going to hit Orihime.

"Santen Kesshun." The Orihime whispered, and an orange shield surround her and Chad, protecting them from Yammy's attack. The shield shattered though, and Orihime stood up.

"This girl… What is she?" Yammy asked, staring at Orihime.

"Sōten Kisshun." Orihime murmured; her hairclips turning into two fairies which flew over to Chad and created a shield around him, and healed his arm.

"How are you able to heal that guy? In fact, how can he even still be alive?" Yammy asked, watching as Chad was healed. "Pretty stubborn if you ask me."

Ulquiorra spoke up. "You are a strange human, aren't you?"

Orihime raised her arms, eyes closed. "Tsubaki! Koten Zanshun!" A faded orange light was forming in her hands. "I reject!" With those words, the light flew towards Yammy and Ulquiorra.

Yammy put his hand out, and stopped the attack. Orihime gasped. Her attack faded, leaving Yammy standing there, unimpressed.

"What was that thing, a fly?"

"T-Tsubaki!" Orihime cried. "Oh no!"

Yammy walked up, right in front of Orihime. "What do you want to do with her, Ulquiorra? Maybe we should take her back to Aizen to show him this weird healing power she possesses."

"Wait, Aizen?" Orihime asked, looking up at Yammy.

"No, that won't be necessary… Just killed her." Ulquiorra replied.

I narrowed my eyes, glaring at the stoic Arrancar. "Princess…" I started.

Jean held her arm out. "Not yet – Ichigo has yet to come."

"Got you." Yammy replied, grinning sadistically at Orihime. He brought his hand down in an attempt to crush her, but was stopped by a large, black, Zanpakuto.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: Mistaken for Enemies

{Dawn's P.O.V.}

The two Arrancars and Orihime looked at Ichigo with wide eyes. He was standing in front of Orihime with the blade of his Zanpakuto pressed against Yammy's oversized hand.

"Just who the hell are you?" Yammy asked.

"Sorry, Ichigo." Orihime apologized, eyes filling with tears.

"It's alright. I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner." Ichigo replied.

Selena placed a hand on Jean's shoulder. "Princess, he's here – when do we advance?"

Jean's eyes narrowed, accessing the scene in front of here. "In a moment… Remember the signal."

Selena nodded and withdrew her hand, watching Ichigo anxiously.

Orihime averted her gaze. "No, I mean… All of this is my fault… If I… If I was stronger I could've stopped this!"

Ichigo lowered his head. "There's no need for you to apologize." He told the other orange-haired teen. "You did everything you could." Ichigo lifted his head once more, and looked at the larger Arrancar. "Now I'm going to deal with these two, and end this!"

Ichigo unleashed his Bankai, making Orihime cover her face to avoid getting smoke and dirt in her eyes. My friends and I also covered our faces, though they were mostly covered.

The substitute Soul Reaper called his Zanpakuto's name, before addressing the girl behind him. "Orihime, stay back."

"A-Alright." Orihime replied, moving away.

Yammy scratched the side of his head. "You got a Bankai, huh?" He looked over his shoulder. "Hey, Ulquiorra! This the guy?"

"Yes. Considering how clumsily you've dealt with the situation, I'm surprised we were able to flush him out at all." Ulquiorra replied. "The orange hair. The black Bankai. No doubt about it – this is our target Yammy. He is the one."

"So, he saved us the trouble of searching for him. Hah!" Yammy brought his fist down towards Ichigo, who simply lifted his sword up and stopped the attack.

"I'm guessing you're the reason Chad's lying on the ground over there." Ichigo mused, looking straight at Yammy, who smirked.

"You going to do something about it?"

Ichigo leapt into the air, and landed behind Yammy. Not even a second later, Yammy's arm fell to the ground. Yammy howled in pain, holding just underneath his shoulder.

"You little runt!" Yammy growled, glaring at the orange-haired Soul Reaper.

I felt a little shock on my shoulder, and looked over at Jean who nodded her head towards the fight.

That was the signal.

My friends and I used shunpo to appear a few miles off to the side of Ichigo and Yammy's fight.

"I'm surprised you can stand there and call me names." Ichigo said. "I guess you're as tough as you are ugly."

Selena chuckled, but quiet enough that no one heard her expect for her friends.

"It seems you're having a tough time." Ulquiorra cut in. "Shall I take over?"

"Stay back!" Yammy snapped, and moved to unsheathe his sword.

"I can't believe you need your Zanpakuto to deal with a runt like this." Ulquiorra mused from his spot.

"Shut up and stay back!"

Ichigo's eyes widened as Yammy slowly pulled his sword from its sheath. "That's a Zanpakuto…" Suddenly, Ichigo clutched his face.

"His Inner Hollow is trying to come out and play…" I mused, smirking lightly. "Shall we help?"

"What would be the point of coming here if we didn't?" Selena asked.

"…I think we should watch a while longer…" Jean spoke up, watching.

Yammy kicked Ichigo in the stomach, sending him flying backwards. Orihime's eyes widened, and she ran towards him. "Ichigo!"

"Stay where you are!" Ichigo shouted, but Orihime continued towards him. Ichigo fell to the ground, and Yammy backhanded Orihime so hard she went flying backwards as well.

Ichigo got up. "Orihime, no!"

"Shut up!" Yammy snapped, raising his only hand left to strike down. He hit Ichigo multiple times.

I looked over at Jean, who nodded to me, granting me permission to follow through with what I had planned.

"Hah, he stopped moving!" Yammy laughed, holding Ichigo up by his head. "Looks like this flea has lost all of its fight!" The large Arrancar threw the substitute Soul Reaper to the ground. "I'm done messing around! Time for you to disappear!" He brought his fist down towards Ichigo, but was suddenly stopped.

Yammy looked over his shoulder to see me standing there. However, all he saw was a figure dressed in white and black with brown eyes holding his elbow and preventing him from beating the living crap out of Ichigo.

"Now now Yammy," I smirked, though he couldn't see it. "I don't think that would be very wise."

"Who the hell are you?" The oversized Arrancar snarled. "And how do you know my name?"

I tightened my gripped on him, shifting my wrist slightly. "That is none of your concern." I threw Yammy a few miles away, and he hit the ground hard.

I looked over my shoulder, at the teal-eyed Arrancar. "What's on your mind, Ulquiorra?" He disappeared from my sight, before reappearing over by Yammy.

I chuckled – he did as expected.

The rest of my friends appeared in a circle around the two Espada members, and I left them to their plans.

I knelt down beside Ichigo. "Do not give up, Kurosaki – you can beat your Inner Hollow."

Ichigo looked up at me with wide eyes. "How did you know…?"

I laughed. "I am not a Visord – if that's what you're thinking."

Ichigo pushed himself onto his knees, and raised his Zanpakuto. "Then… Are you one of them?"

I grabbed the end of Zangetsu before the orange-haired male could to anything stupid. But before I could reply, I heard Jean call out to me.

"Sunshine! We need you – now!"

I inhaled deeply, and used shunpo to reach my friends. "I'm here, Princess. What's going on?" I glanced quickly at the Espada members which stood a little ways away.

"They're taking their leave." Jean replied; eyes narrowed.

"You mean running away." Selena scoffed, arms crossed over her chest.

"Why, are you trying to goad me into a fight?" Ulquiorra asked, turning back to look at us after opening up a Garganta. "Even you must realize the odds are stacked against you. Normally I'd be happy to oblige, but we've completed our mission here. It's time we deliver our report to Lord Aizen. I'll tell him the Soul Reaper he has such interest in has no value what so ever – you're not even worth killing." The two Arrancars stepped into the Garganta and disappeared, on their way back to Hueco Mundo and 'Lord Aizen'.

Brianna sighed. "They got away…"

"The next time I see them I'll –" Selena was cut off when Jean held her arm out.

"Quiet." She demanded. "Bri, we knew they would leave – you should not be upset. And you, Skittles." Our leader turned towards the dark-haired girl, eyes narrowed slightly. "You will do nothing but follow my orders next time."

I looked between the two of my friends, confused. "What happened?"

"Skittles disobeyed an order…" Laura muttered.

Jean nodded and turned to look at me. "Ulquiorra called Skittles trash, and she recklessly attacked him when I specifically told her to ignore him."

Selena hung her head. "I'm sorry, Princess."

Jean sighed. "Don't let it happened again – maybe we would have been able to at least wound them if you hadn't acted out." She turned away from us, so that she was facing Orihime, Chad and Ichigo. "We have to get these three to Urahara. Sunshine and I will bring Ichigo, Skittles, Locket and Bri will bring Chad, and Lil and Kay –"

"We will need Kayla's help." I interrupted. "I think it would be best if Bri helped Lil with Orihime."

Jean nodded. "Alright – let's get going."


End file.
